Aseptic packaging is a process by which products are pre pared for delivery to the consumer, in a state in which such foods are free of pathogenic microorganisms. This research presents a review of the recent literature relevant to the aseptic packaging of processed foods.
Microbial organisms are ubiquitous by nature, occupying, as they do, many different ecological niches. Microbial organ isms are classified into five groups, according to basic cellu ar structure. The five classifications are as follows:
1. Protoza. Protozoa are unicellular organisms with a definite nucleus, vacuoles, and mitochrondria (Cheng, 1987).
2. Algae. Algae are simple plants with cell walls, chlorophyll, and nucleus (Gaman and Sherrington, 1989).
3. Fungi. Fungi are non photosynthetic, multicellu lar, and unicellular plants with cell walls (Gaman and Sher rington, 1989).
4. Bacteria. Bacteria are minute unicellular organ isms with a distinct nucleus and mitochrondria, but which are smaller than protozoans (Cheng, 1987).
5. Viruses. Viruses are minute organisms made of a protein coat and nucleic acid, which are incapable of reproduc ing outside of a host cell (Cheng, 1987).
Each of the microbial organisms may, under specific condi tions, be poisonous to humans, and these organisms may be transmitted to humans through foods. Indeed, some of these organisms are transmitted to humans only through foods. Some of these poisoning agents may produce symptoms through their toxic metabolites, which are formed prior to consumption, while others need be ingested in only small quantities to produce symptoms, and still others produce symptoms through the forma tion of toxins in the intestines subsequent to consumption in large quantities (Foster, 1988).
Many of the microbial organisms which are capable of pro ducing food poisoning are not normally pathogenic. These microbial organisms often become pathogenic to humans, however, whe...